Snow remover



June 12, 1928.

C. C. A. JENSEN S-N OW REMOVER Filed March 25, 1927 '2 Sheets-Sheet Car/ 614; (76/761977 June 12, 1928,

1,673,457 c. c. A. JENSEN SNOW REMOVER Filed March 23, 1927 2 Sheets$heet 2 Attorney Patented June 12, 1928.

PATENT OFFICE.

CARL C. A. JENSEN, F CLARKSTO N, WASHINGTON.

SNOW- BEMOVER.

Application filed March 23, 1927. Serial No. 177,573.

My present invention relates to an improved snow remover of the vehicle type and designed for use in removing snow from streets, roads and highways. The snow remover is of the power operated type receiving power from the propelling mechanism of the vehicle as a tractor or automotive truck, and involves the use of a rotary fan or blower having a horizontal axis with which are employed conveyors for directing the snow to the impeller or blower in its casing. The conveyers are of the spiral type and are carried on side boards or side plates that are adjustable both laterally and vertically for the purpose of increasing the area or decreasing the area from which the snow is gathered and conveyed to the impeller or blower, and for elevating the conveyers to inoperative position when not needed for use.

Means are provided for manually controlling the various parts of the operating mechanisms, and the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts involving these above mentioned features as will hereinafter be more specifically set forth and claimed. In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of my invention wherein the parts are combined and arranged according to the best mode I have thus far devised for the practical application of the principles of my invention,

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation at the front of a snow remover involving the features of my invention.

Figure 2 is a front end view of the snow remover.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the implement, the rear part being omitted for convenience of illustration.

Figure 4; is a top plan, enlarged view of the spreaders for the side boards.

Figure 5 is a view at the rear end of the control mechanism for manipulating the side boards of the conveyer.

Figure 6 is a view in side elevation, partly broken away andpartly in section show- 50 ing the operating crank and hand wheel with their respectlve shafts and connections for elevating and for spreading the side boards and conveyers.

Figure 7 is a detail view of one of the telescopic, flexible transmission shafts of the conveyers.

In order that the general assembly and arrangement of parts may readily be understood I have indicated the usual chassis or frame 1 of'an automotive truck or tractor having pairs of wheels 2 and 3, and the motor for operating the snow removing elements or features is indicated as 4. The driver of the vehicle occupies the seat 5 and is in position to manipulate the control levers, crank and wheel with facility, asthe vehicle is propelled along the roadway un-' der its own power.

Within the casing 6 a fan-blower or impeller 7 rotates and the snow is received in the casing through the intake opening 8 in its front and impelled through the outlet spout 9 to the side of the road or highway. The fanblower is provided with a longitudinally extending centrally arranged shaft 63 which is driven through gears 10 and 11, the latter on the fan shaft and the former on the engine shaft 12 that is driven directly from the motor 4:. A clutch. device 13 is provided on the engine shaft and by manipulating its yoke 14 through the instrumentality of t e longitudinally extending clutch-lever 1 5 the power is transmitted to the fan blower or disconnected therefrom as desired and when required.

the front of the implement and the opening 8 in the front of the casing is provided with a scoop or shovel 16 also extending transverselv of the implement and hinged at 17 to I the bottom of the casing to direct the scooped snow into the opening 8 as the implement travels forwardly and scoops the snow from the road surface. The fan .blower casing is provided with caster wheels as 18 for traveling over the cleared surface of the road and supporting the front part of the implement in advance of the wheels 2. For supporting and adjusting the hinged,

transversely extending scoop or shovel I I employ side links 19 which are pivoted to the scoop and to a bell crank lever 20 pivoted at each side of the casing, and a rod 21 connects the bell crank lever to the operating lever 22 located in convenient position for access of the driver sitting in the seat 5. The two operating devices, one at each side of the fan-blower casing, are connected at as The fan casing extends transversely of the rear by a cross rod 23 in order that the lever 22 may lift or lower the scoop and of course the scoop or shovel is uniformly supported in a level position.

To assist in gathering the snow and guiding, and conveying it toward the mouth or opening 8 of the fan-blower casing I utilize a pair of adjustable conveyers 24 and 25, one at each side of the front of the implement. The conveyers are preferably of spiral or screw shape, horizontally disposed and adapted to swing on diverging lines toward or away from the longitudinal center of the implement, and thus gather in the snow from a wider or narrower area of the road surface. The spiral screws or conveyers are designed of course to convey the snow to the fan-blower housing or casing and they rotate on their shafts 26 which are journaled in bearing brackets 27. The bearing brackets 27 are attached at the inner sides of oppositely arranged side boards or side plates 28 and 29 having curved bottom edges 30, and designed to gather the snow in combination with the conveyers and guide it to the fan blower. The side plates are hinged at their rear ends and provided with hinge bracket arms 31 and ball and socket joints 32 at each side of the blower housing or casing. These ball and socket joints or universal joints permit the side plates to be swung in either a horizontal plane or in a vertical plane, with the universal joints as centers. Thus the side plates and conveyers may be swun in the horizontal lane to adapt the imp ement for handling arger or smaller quantities of snow, or the plates with the conveyers may be lifted or swung upwardly either to adjust them with relation to the road surface, or to elevate them to inoperative position, when these parts are not to be used.

When the implement is in operation the spiral conveyers are revolved by flexible shafts from the fan-blower shaft 63 and each of these flexible shafts includes a pair of telescoping parts or sections 33 and 34 to compensate for the vertical and horizontal swinging movement of the conveyers. Universal joints 35 are used in the flexible shafts between the screw shafts, and the flexible parts of the transmission shafts are connected by universal joints to the transversely disposed gear shaft 36 which is journaled in bearings 37 just below the fan shaft and in front of the fan casing. Power is transmitted from the fan shaft to the transversely arranged transmission shaft by a gear 38 on shaft 36 and a worm gear 39 on the fan shaft.

For spreading or laterally adjusting the side boards or plates with their conveyers, and for vertically adjusting and suspendin these parts, manually operated contro means are employed.

For laterally adjusting or spreading the conveyers and the side plates I utilize a pair of spreaders in the form of rack bars 40 and 41 disposed transversely of the implement and pivoted at their outer ends at 42 on the inner sides of the opposed side lates. The free ends of these rack bars over ap and pass through a housing 43 which has guide rollers 44 in its front and rear walls for co-action with the back or outer edges of the rack bars, to hold the rack bars in operative contact with a rack gear 45 on the vertical shaft 46. The shaft section 46 is connected by flexible joint 47 to the gear-shaft section 48 having a bearing 49 in the horizontal frame 49 projecting from the front of the implement. The upper shaft section 48 is provided with a gear 50 above the bearing 49 and a worm-gear 50' on a tubular shaft 51 meshes with this gear to revolve the rack gear 45 and adjust the rack bars thereby. The tubular shaft is journaled in bearings 52 and extends horizontally toward the rear of the implement where a hand wheel 53 is fixed at its end in position for ready access of the driver. Thus by turning the hand wheel in the desired direction the side plates and spiral screws or conveyers may be swung laterally on their universal joints to the desired adjustment.

For vertically adjusting the side plates and their screw conveyers a pair of cables 54 and 55 are used having their ends attached at 56 to the side plates and they pass over a drum 57 on the shaft 58 which is su ported inside of the tubular shaft 51. At its rear end this cable shaft is provided with a crank 59 to be turned by hand for elevating the side plates and their screws, or the crank may be used in lowering these parts. For holding them in adjusted, vertical osition I use a ratchet wheel 60 on the s aft 58 and a pivoted awl 61 on the frame 62.

The implement 1s propelled in usual manner for the performance of its functions and it will'be apparent that the operating parts are readily adjustable to meet changing conditions in the road surface, and the control of these parts is accessible to the driver of the implement.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination in a vehicle snow rcmover-with a rotary fan blower and its casing and operating means for the fan-blower, of a pair of forwardly extending, vertically and horizontally adjustable side plates hinged at opposite sides of the casing, conveyers supported on said plates, manually operated means for adjusting said lates, and transmission mechanism between t c operating means and said conveyers.

2. The combination in a vehicle snow remover with a rotary fan blower and its shaft, of a pair of forwardly extending, vertically and horizontally adjustable, hinged side plates and screw conveyers supported thereon, a counter shaft operated by the blower shaft, and a pair of flexible, extensible, transmission shafts connecting the countcrshaft with said screw conveyers.

3. The combination in a Vehicle snow remover with a rotary fan blower, its casing, and fan shaft and operating means for the fan shaft, and a hinged, adjustable shovel in front of the casing, of a pair of side plates hinged at opposite sides of the casing and provided with inturned lower edges for co-action with the shovel, conveyers supported by said side plates, and transmission mechanism between said fan shaft and conveyers. v

4. The combination in a vehicle snow remover with its rotary fan blower, casing, fan shaft and operatin means, and hinged scoop-shovel, of a pair of forwardly extending hinged side plates and conveyers thereon, transmission mechanism between said fan shaft and conveyers, a pair of rack bars hinged on the side plates, a housing for the overlapping free ends of said bars and a rack wheel in said housing, and manually operated means for actuating said wheel for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

CARL C. A, JENSEN.

lit? 

